Zero One Arc: Companion: The Taki and Wufei Story
by The Manwell
Summary: Companion fiction to The Perfect Soldier. Ever wonder how Taki (OC) and Wufei got together? Duo and Bisho (OC) play no small role in helping them along... Please read The Perfect Soldier first. (Complete)
1. Chapter 1: The Funeral

**The Taki and Wufei Story**

Companion to _The__ Perfect Soldier_

A Gundam Wing Fan Fiction

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**Author's Note:**  This fan fiction takes place during _The Perfect Soldier_ after Chapter 19.  Please read _The Perfect Soldier_ first!  This story is rather tame: although it's got some harsh language and angst in it.  But, overall, it's a mellow romance.  The main characters are Wufei Chang, Duo Maxwell, Taki Daemon (original character), and Bisho (original character), with a cameo appearance from Heero Yuy.****

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**.**

**Chapter 1: The Funeral**

**.**

            **"Go away."**

            Blessed silence follows the growled command.  Taki doesn't concern herself with listening for departing footsteps.  She simply lays, eyes closed and arms flung out across the wrinkled hotel bedspread.  She doesn't even bother to wonder what time it is.  She thinks it's Thursday, but she's not one hundred percent sure.  Not that she really cares . . . 

            _Knock.  Knock._

            Taki sighs and opens her eyes.  Did the schmuck not hear her the first time?

_            "Go away, God dammit!"_

            This time she listens for departing footsteps.  And it's a good thing she does, too.  Otherwise she might have missed the slight sound of something grinding against the lock.  She sighs.  Looks like this one's not going to leave her be.  Maybe it's the hotel manager trying to evict her.

            Reluctantly, she rolls out of bed and stumbles to the door.  She blinks away the vague, light-headed spell that accompanies her.  Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to spend the last... what, day?  Two days? staring at the ceiling.  Scowling darkly, Taki yanks open the door and stares down at the intruder.

            In all honesty, if she'd thought about it, she would have expected to see Duo kneeling on the other side of the door, lock pick in hand.  He seems the only likely candidate, anyway.  Instead she finds herself confronted by...

            "Heero?"

            The young man stands, tucking the tool back into his jeans pocket.  He grunts softly in affirmative reply.

            "What are you doing here?" she asks, mildly curious but mostly annoyed.

            He stares at her for a moment and his silence is painfully familiar.  She's a millisecond away from slamming the door in his face when he speaks.

            "I need to ask you for a favor."

            Taki tilts her head to the side, moderately intrigued.  Heero hadn't spoken two words to her since she'd mistaken him for her friend in Salzburg.  "What?"

            "Draw something."

            "Draw what, exactly?" she replies skeptically.

            He glances away and Taki gets the impression that he's nervous.  But then his attention returns to her and his eyes harden with determination.  He tells her, "Me."

**.**

            **It's a beautiful day.**

            Taki watches the crowd in the distance.  She easily identifies George and Kathy, Trowa and Quatre, Duo and Bisho, Wufei and Heero.  There's also a few others... and the preacher, of course.  It's a good-sized crowd.  She doubts she'll get such a good turnout at her own funeral.

            Eyes stinging, Taki looks away from the group and blindly studies the L1 cityscape.  It's a shame that Heero, no, _Yokaze_ is being laid to rest here, so near the shadow of the organization that had taken her childhood.  Yokaze's remains should have been laid to rest somewhere—anywhere—else.

            Taking a deep breath, Taki turns back to the cemetery.  The services have finished.  She shrinks further back into the shadows as the gathering begins to dissipate.  Taki's a little surprised by her own actions.  It's been years since she's hidden from the world.  But then, it's been years since she's felt this much pain.  She sighs.  Street habits are hard to break.

            She watches as George retreats from the grave with Kathy.  Hand in hand.  Taki blinks back tears as her last remaining friend walks away with someone else.

            _George, you bastard.__  You're supposed to be _my_ friend._

            She knows she's being unfair to him.  He's hurting too.  Hurting and in love.  Of course he'd turn to Kathy.  Taki indulges in a moment of self-pity wishing she had someone like that.

            But she doesn't.  She's alone.

            Again.

            _Damn you to hell for dying on me, Heero._

            Taki huddles in the shadows, for how long she doesn't know.  Slowly, the mourners make their way back to their warm, comfortable retreats.  And she watches them.  Heero is the last to turn away.  As he does so, he withdraws something from inside his jacket and allows it to tumble from his fingers and flutter down into the grave.  Still, although he's the last to leave, he's not alone.  The others wait for him at a distance.

            That's more than Taki has.

            She waits until they're out of range then slowly approaches the opened earth.  She doesn't have anything to give her friend, can think of nothing to say, feels ill at the very thought that this is good-bye.  Taki trembles as she steps closer to the upturned soil.  She's numb and weak... and somehow cold on this carefully regulated, pleasant day.

            _I hate the colonies._

            She closes her eyes before taking that last step which will allow her to gaze down into her best friend's resting place.  She hates this.

            _I want to go home._

            But the only home she's ever had had been with Heero.

            _Time to get on with it._

            But she doesn't want to.  She wants her friend back.

            Taki opens her eyes and looks down.  For a moment, she doesn't comprehend what she sees.  Splashes of color.  Blurred shapes.  And...

            _No, can't be._

            But it is.

            Taki stares silently down into the grave and at a very familiar face.  Her head jerks up and her eyes narrow as she catches one last glimpse of Heero Yuy.  Then she turns back to the drawing in the grave.  The drawing—the portrait—of Heero Yuy she'd composed for him yesterday.  The drawing he'd been willing to break into her room to request.  Why would he go through all that trouble just to—?

            But maybe she knows.  She stares down into the face of a young soldier being laid to rest with the woman who'd given her life to free him from the cycle of war that has been his life.

            Very softly, she whispers, "I know how you feel."

            And although Taki has no souvenirs to offer, a part of herself is cast into that hole nonetheless.

**.**

**~End of Chapter 1~**


	2. Chapter 2: Freefall

**The Taki and Wufei Story**

**Chapter 2: Freefall**

**.**

            **"So, what's** your plan, Wufei?"

            Wufei looks up from folding his laundry at the young man leaning in his hotel room doorway.  "What makes you think I'll tell you, Maxwell?"

            Duo sighs.  "Come on, man.  Don't be an ass.  It's been a shitty week."

            "That's quite the understatement," Wufei observes.

            Running a hand through his bangs and into his braid, Duo smiles wryly.  "And here I was starting to think you didn't get my jokes."

            Wufei offers a grunt in response.

            After a moment of silence, during which Wufei places his precisely folded clothes in a dresser drawer, Duo continues with a frown, "You're staying here?"

            Wufei nods.  "I've asked to be temporarily assigned to the L1 office."

            "What for?"

            Brow arced, he replies, "There's a lot about this explosion that we don't know."

            "Jesus, Wu.  You're one cold bastard."

            Wufei scowls at Duo.  "Mind explaining that, Maxwell?"

            "Yokaze came here to destroy the organization that trained her and Heero.  She knew he'd have to do it himself before he could even think about being his own person, being free of the past.  She sacrificed her life so that Heero could have a future.  What the hell more do you need to know?"

            Ignoring Wufei's piercing stare, Duo sinks down into one of the room's scarred chairs and gazes at the floor for a moment, just breathing.  "I... I guess it's... admirable.  Your tenacity.  But turning this colony inside out isn't going to bring Yokaze back.  I mean, what kind of answers do you expect to get?  Don't you think Heero just deserves to move on?"

            Turning his back on his uninvited guest, Wufei mutters, "You don't know me very well if you think I'm doing this to prolong anyone's pain."

            "Then why?"

            He briefly meets Duo's gaze and notes the sincere confusion.  "I'm a Preventer agent, Duo.  As the name suggests, I work to prevent disasters like this from occurring."  With a breath and a glare at his own reflection above the dresser, Wufei speculates, "Maybe I'm doing this for me, Maxwell.  Have you thought of that?  Maybe I need to know how this place could have continued to exist after peace was established.  Maybe I need to know why I didn't find out about the organization before now."

            Duo blinks up at Wufei's scowling profile.  "You can't possibly blame yourself for this."

            Wufei sends Duo a wry look out of the corner of his eye.  "Why not?"

            "Well..."  Duo casts about for an obvious reason.  "Because you didn't know, for one thing."

            "Exactly.  _Why_ didn't I know?  It's my job to know."

            Duo sighs, expression softening.  "Wufei..."

            "When does your shuttle leave?"

            Duo blinks at his friend then snorts softly at the blatant refusal to accept sympathy.  "Tomorrow morning.  Eight o'clock."

            Wufei glances at the clock.  "You'll want to get an early night."

            With a shrug, Duo stands.  Obviously, he's outstayed his welcome here.  "Yeah, I guess you're right," he admits.  But as he wraps his fingers around the door knob, Duo hesitates.  "You know my number if you ever want to... you know...  Right?"

            Surprised by the offer, Wufei looks up and their gazes lock.  "Yes, I know."

            With a nod, Duo pulls the door open and steps out into the hall.

            "Thank you... Duo."

            The young man in the hall offers Wufei a smile.  "Anytime, Wufei.  Anytime."

**.**

            **"Duo!****  It's me!**  Look, I have _really_ got to talk to you.  _Please_ call me as soon as you can!"

            _That's eight messages, total,_ he muses as the machine beeps loudly, signaling the end of the message playback.  He shakes his head.  _Eight messages from Hilde._  He reaches for the phone, hoping everything is all right, but hesitates.  How is he supposed to tell her about Bisho?  How is he supposed to back out of their salvage business fairly?  He'd promised her he'd stay on and help... but he can't work sixteen-hour days anymore.  Not with Bisho around.  He's got to find something that will support the two of them but won't force him to sell his soul in the process.

            "Is that your girlfriend?"

            Duo jumps.  "Bisho!  Dammit, do _not_ sneak up on me like that."

            Bisho stares at him, the duffle bag containing all of her worldly goods slung over her shoulder.  "Is it?"

            "No," Duo replies.  "She's my business partner."

            "Oh."  With a nod, Bisho transfers her attention to her brother's apartment.

            Duo follows her roving gaze and feels not a little bit embarrassed.  "I know it's not much.  We'll get a better place as soon as I can swing it."

            Bisho makes a face.  "I didn't mean...  This is fine, Duo.  You don't have to move because of me..."

            Duo laughs.  "Naw, I've been getting tired of living in this shoebox.  Besides, all of the good bars are on the other side of town."

            She smiles for him.  And then:  "So, are you going to call her back?"

            He rolls his eyes.  "Yes, mother."

            Bisho snorts and carefully stows her duffle under the apartment's only coffee table.  "Got anything I can munch on?"

            Duo starts to nod, then hesitates.  "Um, I'm not sure."  He glances over his shoulder at the kitchenette.  "Maybe I should scope it out before I send you in there."

            "Why?  What's the worst I could find?"

            "Um...  A highly evolved form of intelligent life that began its existence as Chinese take-out?"

            She snorts.  "I'll take my chances."

            "Fine.  You lose an arm or something, it's not my fault."

            Bisho shoots him a wry look before heading for the fridge.  Duo picks up the phone, takes a breath, and dials Hilde's number.  _Better just get this over with,_ he thinks and forces a smile into his voice when she picks up.

**.**

            **Hilde**** glances** at the young woman strolling through the scrap yard.  Without turning back to Duo, she tells him, "You two really do look a lot alike."

            "I hope you're not trying to tell me I look like a pubescent girl," Duo mock growls.

            Hilde turns back around and grins at him.  "You'd still love me if I did," she accuses.

            Duo sighs.  She's right.

            "So, you found her on Earth?"

            He hesitates, unsure of how much to tell her.  "Not exactly.  It's... a really long story..." _ And it doesn't really have a happy ending._  He meets her gaze.  "But, hey, your messages made it sound like the apocalypse was coming.  So what's up?"

            Hilde grins widely and holds up her left hand, palm facing her and waits for Duo to see it.

            His jaw drops.  "Hilde!  Holy shit, girl!  I've been gone less than a month and you got yourself _engaged?"_

            She rolls her eyes.  "Gee, don't act so surprised, Duo.  You'll bruise my feminine ego."

            "Now I surely wouldn't want to do that seeing as how you're so fragile and all..."

            She snorts.  "Jerk."

            "So how'd it happen?"

            She smiles.  "We were best friends growing up.  Then he ran off and joined OZ and we sort of lost touch.  I thought maybe... he was dead, but then he stopped in on Christmas Eve and surprised me.  It was like old times and I..."  She pauses and fidgets.  "We're getting married as soon as I can make arrangements to move in with him..."

            Duo waits.

            Hilde takes a fortifying breath.  "...on Earth."

            "Ah," Duo says.  "So you want to know what we're going to do about the salvage yard, right, Hil?"

            She nods.  "Yeah.  Do you still...  I mean, are you...?"

            The corner of Duo's mouth kicks up in a half grin.  He shakes his head.  "I can't.  I was trying to figure out how to tell you..."  He glances in Bisho's direction.  "I've got to find something that takes less of my time.  We've got a lot of catching up to do."  He shrugs and looks at Hilde again.  "If it were you and me and some hired help, maybe.  But... I can't handle this place by myself.  Especially now that I've got her to look after."

            Hilde tells him, "Then no worries, Duo.  If you don't care what I do with the yard, I'll put it up for sale."

            Duo agrees.  "You need any help?"

            "Nah, don't worry about it, Duo."

            He sighs happily.  "Okay, I won't."

            She rolls her eyes.  "You're impossible."

            He chuckles and opens his mouth to deliver a smart reply but another voice cuts across the exchange.

            Bisho stands a few feet away, grinning, as she tells Hilde, "Tell me something I don't already know."

**.**

            **Taki stuffs** her hand in her pocket and slides a finger over the very thin wad of bills.  _Almost out of cash,_ she thinks dispassionately.  In fact, if her math is correct, she's got just enough for one hell of a party.  She considers the idea.  Aren't there cultures where, instead of moping about and all that, they go out and party in the name of their deceased love one?

            _Well, I've tried everything else,_ she thinks, heart heavy._  Why not?  Heero's gone.  I've got to get used to the idea sooner or later._

            She slides onto a bench that serves as a waiting spot for bus-goers.  But as she sits, something in her back pocket draws her attention.  With a frown, she reaches behind her a pulls out a small diskette.  The only markings on it are two scribbled words: _Taki Daemon._

            Taki stares at the object.  A bus pulls in.  People get off and other people climb on.  Taki doesn't look up.  This is the only tangible thing Heero—_Yokaze,_ she reminds herself—had given her.  Taki feels her limbs begin to tremble as she remembers why Yokaze had given this to her: as a 'thank you,' as a 'good-bye.'

            _She knew,_ Taki thinks with sudden insight.  _She knew that mission on L1 was going to kill her._

            So why had she stopped at L2 and gotten a job with the circus?  Taki mulls this over for a while then shakes her head and sighs with frustration.  It's beyond her to understand why Yokaze had done everything the way she had.  She doesn't suppose it really matters why Yokaze took a brief detour to L2.  The end result is the same, regardless.

            Taki frowns at the disk, a thought suddenly occurring to her.  If she keeps this—Yokaze's 'good-bye'—then it's like admitting that she's gone, that Taki will never talk to her again or hack security systems or pick up hot men...  Wait, Taki had been the only one to do that last activity.  She'd always hoped that her friend had just been a late-bloomer in that department.  Now she'll never know.

            She gets to her feet and strides over to a public trash bin.  For a minute, she considers the disk.  Her last link to her friend...  _If_ her friend is dead, that is.

            "I don't believe it," she says fiercely.  "You'll come back.  Someday, you'll come back."  And to prove it to herself, Taki allows the disk to slide from her fingers.  Then, before she can change her mind, she turns and crosses the street.

            It's almost dark and she's got one last party to get ready for.

**.**

**~End of Chapter 2~**


	3. Chapter 3: Second Chances

**The Taki and Wufei Story**

**Chapter 3: Second Chances**

**.**

            **"Okay, Bisho!**  I'm going!"

            Duo gulps down his coffee and catches a muffled groan and/or murmur from his sister.  He looks over his shoulder at her small frame completely covered in blankets.  With a wry grin, he shakes his head at her.  She is definitely _not_ a morning person.

            He glances at his watch and notes the time.  _Well, I suppose __5 a.m.__ is a little early to be up and about_...  He pulls on his suit jacket and plucks his leather satchel from the counter.  He checks to make sure he has all of the documentation he might need for his job interview.  Although he doesn't particularly want to work for the colony spaceport, he knows it would be good experience and, hopefully, regular hours.

            Duo sets his empty cup down in the sink and tries to get out the door as quietly as possible.  He heads down the stairs and out the front door, checking his watch again.  It's too early for buses to be running, so he'll have to walk it.  He's not really worried.  The spaceport isn't that far away.  He gazes out at the empty streets, knowing that his prospective employer had arranged the interview time based on the rush hour traffic schedule.  Soon, the mechanic bay would be bustling with passenger carriers and cargo ships.  The dead of morning and the dead of night were the only times available for an interview.

            He rolls his shoulders and tries not to think of working under such hectic conditions.  Maybe it is just the supervising mechanic who has so little free time.  Duo sighs.  He can hope, anyway.

            Still, even though Duo has plenty to think about, the old instincts that force him to pay strict attention to his surroundings override his thoughts.  Which is fortunate.  Otherwise he would have overlooked the huddled figure occupying a stoop just inside a shadowed alley.  Normally, Duo would only have given the person a cursory glance, just to confirm that the stranger isn't in any shape to cause him trouble.  But there is something about the rumpled form that makes him pause and look closer.

            He comes to a halt on the sidewalk and attempts to make out the figure in the shadows.  Dark hair.  Leather jacket.  _Female,_ he decides.  Then he sees the girl's backpack.  His eyes widen as he takes a step closer.

            It's easier to see her once he's standing in the shadows.  His gaze moves over her and finds it suddenly difficult to swallow.  Slowly, he reaches out.  Softly, he calls her name.  She doesn't so much as twitch.  It's only when he's close enough to feel her breath against his face does he realize what he is seeing.

            Her breath, heavy with the scent of alcohol, the dark circles under her eyes, her limp, dirty hair, the clothes that look like they've been worn for three days straight...  It all tells a story of a young woman who has simply given up on life.  Gently, he wraps an arm around her.  Completely down for the count, she sleeps through his clumsy operation.  When at last she's cradled against his chest, Duo stands.

            It takes him longer to return to the apartment, but considering his burden he still makes excellent time.  As he fumbles with the lock and kicks the door open, Duo is greeted by his sister's voice coming from beneath the small hill of blankets.

            "That was fast," she mutters.

            "I didn't go," he replies, heading for his bedroom to lay the girl in his arms down.  "This is more important."  He begins unzipping the young woman's boots but pauses at the sound of his sister's soft gasp.  He looks up in time to see his sister, rumpled from sleep, staring at their guest.

            "Oh my God..."

            "Help me get her out of her coat?" he asks.

            Bisho nods.  "Yeah..."

            Together, they manage to get her tucked into bed.  With that accomplished, Bisho asks him, "What are you going to do?"

            Duo runs his fingers through his hair, messing up his braid.  "I'm not sure."  He tries to think of who he can call...  He winces as one candidate's name comes to him.  It's unlikely, but what other options does he have?

            With a sigh, he heads for the phone and punches in a number.  After a moment, the call connects.  Duo clears his throat and doesn't bother with false brevity.  "Hey, Wufei.  I'm sorry to bother you, but... well, it's about Taki..."

**.**

            **_"It's about Taki_**...**_"_**

_            "What about her?"_

_            "She's_..._  God, Wu, I found her passed out in an alley."_

_            "Where is she now?"_

_            "With me, but_..._"_

_            "Then what's the problem, Maxwell?"_

_            "She's drunk, completely exhausted, and looks like she hasn't seen the inside of a shower in days."_

_            "So she needs money?  A place to stay?  What?"_

_            "Wufei, Taki knows how to take care of herself.  She's just chosen not to."_

_            "What am I supposed to infer from this, Maxwell?"_

_            "She's trying to kill herself, you moron!  Someone who's grown up on the streets knows it's fatal to let down their guard.  Jesus, she might has well have painted a red bulls eye on her forehead!"_

_            "So what do you want me to do about it?"_

_            "I don't God damn know!  I thought you might_..._"_

_            "Might what?"_

_            "_..._care_..._"_

            Wufei rolls his head toward the shuttle window and watches the darkness scroll past.  In silence, he replays the conversation he'd had with Duo only a few hours ago.  Unsure of how he should feel about this situation.  Unsure of how he should feel about Taki in general.  His hesitation on the phone had spoken volumes.

            _"Gee, Wu, I can tell you're really torn up about this."_

_            "I_..._"_

_            "Look, maybe you don't give a rip.  Fine.  I'll call_..._ I don't know... someone else_..._"_

_            "No, Duo, don't do that.  I'm catching the next flight."_

            His eyelids slide closed on a sigh.  Why had he agreed to leave his investigation and go to L2?  Why had he indirectly agreed to look after Taki?  They didn't even like each other.  Well, for the most part anyway.  There'd been just that one time, on the roof of the hotel, when he'd held her...  Other than that, they'd done nothing but exchange glares and insults.  And a kiss, of course.

            He sighs.

            He knows why he'd agreed.  Her best friend had been killed destroying a threat to peace that Wufei should have already taken care of.  The bottom line is that it should have been Wufei in that building.  His ineptitude had cost Taki her friend and, it also seemed, her will to live.

            Wufei rubs his temples, feeling this new guilt heap itself up onto the pile already threatening to crush the air from his lungs.  Somehow, he's got to find a way to get some good out of this.  For the sake of his own sanity at the very least.

**.**

            **She's slowly** going insane.  Taki realizes this.  She quickly closes her eyes, blocking out the vision that she knows is impossible.  Although why her mind insists on presenting this image to her she does not know.  Wufei Chang is the last person she wants to see.  So why is it she cannot escape his presence?

            "Taki?  Are you awake?"

            She turns away, wraps herself around a very flat pillow, and mumbles, "Piss off you ferret loving asshole."

            And then her hallucination grunts.  "That's the most imaginative yet," he tells her.

            "Stuff a sushi in it.  I'm sleeping."

            And damn if she can't _hear_ his smirk.  "So I see.  And very noisily at that."

            Her next grumble is completely incoherent.

            Wufei takes a deep breath and releases it silently.  He hovers over her blanket-swaddled form for another moment, waiting to see if she truly wakes up.  She _needs_ to wake up.  But, at the moment, she doesn't seem so inclined.  He leans away from the bed when her breathing levels off again.  Wufei frowns as he experiences both disappointment and relief.  Disappointment because Taki's been drifting in and out of consciousness for more than a day.  Relief because he is hardly looking forward to explaining why she's in his custody.

            He slides into the chair behind the desk and resumes the comm. window on his laptop.

            "Is everything under control, Agent Chang?"

            "Yes.  I apologize for the interruption, Commander Une."  His gaze shifts momentarily to the open doorway just a few feet away and Taki's sleeping figure beyond.  "Did you receive my progress report successfully?"

            "I did.  But you neglected to include when you'll be meeting with the computer forensics analysts."

            Wufei nods.  "I've been receiving daily reports.  Thus far, they're still searching for all of the fragments in the blast site.  The technicians don't have enough material to begin rebuilding the database yet."

            Une nods.  "Keep me informed."

            "Of course, Commander."

            Wufei disconnects and leans back in his chair.  Giving in to an old nervous gesture, he reaches behind him and combs his fingers through his ponytail.  He's not particularly proud of himself at this moment; he hasn't told Une that he is no longer on L1 and it is imperative that he return.  He just hopes this situation with Taki will resolve itself.  Soon.

            Taki hesitates in the doorway, blinking at the sight before her.  She ignores the details of the hotel room in favor of studying the man leaning back in his chair, hands behind his head, eyes closed.  And to think she'd nearly convinced herself that she'd been dreaming him.  She stares, thinking how very much younger he looks without a scowl on his face.  _Damn, he almost looks his actual age._

            Reluctantly, she clears her throat.  Taki stays right where she is and watches him unveil his dark, dark eyes.  "What am I doing here?"  Her voice isn't nearly as clear nor as pissy as she'd expected.  The husky quality of it as well as her reluctance to speak at all combines and she feels suddenly rather angry with herself.  _Christ, I'm acting positively meek!_

            Wufei slowly drops his arms onto the desk and returns her tired glare.  He ignores her question.  "How are you feeling?"

            "Fan-fucking-tastic."  She repeats, "What.  Am.  I.  Doing.  Here?"

            He reaches for the phone.  "You should get cleaned up.  I'll order something to eat.  Any preferences?"

            "Answer my question," she retorts, attempting to ignore his comment about needing to get cleaned up.  _Yup, you sure know how to make a girl feel real special._

            His lips twitch.  "That's not on the menu."

            She glares.  "Whatever.  Just make sure they don't forget the ketchup."  And with that, she slams into the bathroom.

            At the desk, Wufei releases a slow breath and dials for room service.

**.**

            **"Are you** going to answer my question now?"

            Wufei meets Taki's gaze over the remains of their meal and nods.  "Duo found you.  Passed out on the street."

            Taki digests this.  She sifts through her memories, recalling a lot of loud music, grief-numbing drinks, and swirling lights... then, nothing.  "If Duo found me, then why am I here?"

            Face perfectly expressionless, Wufei tells her, "Duo and Bisho are living in an efficiency apartment.  There wasn't any room for you."

            Taki winces at that last bit.  "The story of my life," she mutters quietly, but not quietly enough.

            Wufei's eyes narrow.

            Taki doesn't notice.  "So, why you?"

            "Excuse me?"

            She elaborates, "Why did Duo ask you?  I mean, he must have.  You're not the sort to just... volunteer your hospitality to an almost stranger."

            His voice is quiet when he tells her, "I was the closest."  And he's not entirely sure he's telling the truth.  He frowns.

            "Well, thanks for the bed and the shower and the meal.  Now that I'm capable of defending myself against slave traders, muggers, pimps, and johns I'll be on my way."

            Wufei watches as Taki pushes away from the table.  She plucks her coat from the open closet and slings her backpack over her shoulder.  Not once during this does she acknowledge his existence.  His jaw clenches as something inside of him strains.  He tells himself it's his honor that makes him stand and block her route to the door.

            When Taki turns around, she discovers the silent obstacle in her path.  She arcs a brow at him.  "You gonna try to stop me from leaving?" she dares, incredulous.

            For a moment, he doesn't reply.  He simply looks into her eyes, reading the pain and the anger and the... resignation.  _Duo had been right.  She doesn't want to live anymore._  He glares at her.  What had happened to her fire?  Her invincible determination?  How dare she just _give up._  He says, "Is Duo going to find you on the street again?"

            She opens her mouth to respond.

            Wufei talks over her.  "I don't have time to walk the streets checking up on you."

            Taki's eyes flash with anger for a tiny moment.  Then she shrugs.  "Did I ask you to?"

            He hears himself say, "Yes."

            Her gaze snaps to his.  "Get your hearing checked."

            Wufei scowls at her.  "That look in your eyes asked me, Taki.  So just save us both the trouble and stay."

            "Oh, you know I _live_ to make your life easier."

            He ignores the sarcasm.  "The point being that you _live._"

            "And since when do you care?"

            Normally, Wufei would have paused and carefully composed his reply to a challenge of that nature, but his mouth seems to be on autopilot.  "Did that moment on the rooftop mean nothing to you?"

            Taki blinks, shocked.  "I..."  Of all the things she would have expected him to say, _that_ is not among them.  Even Wufei looks a little startled at his words.  She tries again, "I..."

            Wufei takes a breath, determined to convince her to just stay put for the time being.  Her voice is telling him she can take care of herself, but her eyes communicate otherwise.  Besides, he doesn't particularly want to get a call from Duo again during the shuttle ride back to L1.  He confronts: "Why weren't you at the funeral?"

            "I was there," she states, too surprised to think of a lie.

            "I didn't see you."

            "I was there."  She looks away from his gaze.  "I didn't want to be seen."

            He frowns.  "Why not?"

            The look she sends him is not a little angry.  She refrains from responding.

            _"Why not?"_

            "Go to hell," she growls, attempting to push past him.

            His palm slaps against the wall and suddenly his arm is blocking her escape.  "You're not going anywhere, Taki."

            "God, what is _with_ you?"

            "What do you mean?"

            "You don't even _like_ me!"

            Slowly, Wufei nods.  "You're right.  I don't like you..."

            Taki glares at him.  Through clenched teeth, she advises, "Then get out of my way."

            He continues, ignoring her threat, "... but I could."

            Her entire body stills.  The tension in her shoulders dissipates in the wake of his flat statement.  "What?"

            The words roll out of him involuntarily.  He hears himself speaking and is surprised that they don't sound false to his ears.  "You're not the only one who's alone right now.  Don't deny it," he tells her without heat as she starts to argue.  "You're alone.  I'm alone.  And it gets very... tiresome."

            She simply looks at him, waiting for the punch line.

            He says, "Stay for a few days."

            "Why?"

            He shrugs.  "Why not?"

            Taki hesitates.  Her gaze flows over him, taking in random details as well as his expression.  She stares at a wisp of hair that has escaped his severe ponytail and sighs.  Maybe he's right... for once.  It's not like she has someplace else she needs to be right now.

**.**

**~End of Chapter 3~**

**.**

**Author's Note:**Hey, there!  I'd like to take this opportunity to say a little something to Seak...  Thank you so much for your reviews.  You know you're the main reason I'm even posting this story, right?  I hope you enjoy!  And for the love of all things G-boy, if anyone else is happy that I wrote this, let me know, dammit!  *grins*  Until then...


	4. Chapter 4: What Was Lost

**The Taki and Wufei Story**

**Chapter 4: What Was Lost**

**.**

            **"She was** at the funeral."

            Wufei can hear Duo's frown through the phone line.  "She was?  Then why didn't I see her?"

            Keeping his voice low so as not to wake the woman asleep in the next room, Wufei says, "She said she didn't want to be seen."

            "Why would she want that?" Duo muses aloud.

            Wufei sighs.  "That's why I'm calling you, Maxwell."

            Duo chuckles.  "Wow.  I've got to mark this day down.  Wufei is asking me for advice on women."

            His next words are a growl, "Not 'women,' Maxwell.  Taki.  There's a difference."

            "You don't get her, do you?"

            Wufei blinks at Duo's complete lack of amusement.  The other man sounds... almost... sympathetic.  "No," Wufei admits.  "I don't understand her.  I don't understand why she would hide.  Perhaps she didn't know us very long, but George was there.  Why wasn't she with him?"

            Duo sighs.  "I think I see it, Wu.  Look, Taki grew up on the streets.  Try to image what that would be like.  You can't trust anyone or their motives.  If you're a child on the streets, there's not a lot you can do to... defend yourself.  And both of us know a good offense is the best defense."

            "But she was hiding."

           "Exactly.  Wufei, there are people out there that are more animal than human.  If they smell fear or pain, they close in.  God knows I've had to deal with that more than once.  Everyone's got a... way to cover up their... weakness."

            Wufei blinks.  "Your smile," he says.

            "What?"

            "You smile to cover the pain."

            There is a long pause on the line.  Wufei listens to Duo's long sigh.  "Yeah," Duo finally replies.  "The grinning idiot.  That's me."

            "What's Taki?"

            "Can't you guess?"

            Wufei stops and thinks.  "She's... flamboyant and... aggressive."

            "That she is.  She pushes others before they push her.  And when she's too drained to do that, she hides."

            Wufei grunts.

            "And I know what you think of that, Wufei."

            "Of what?"

            "Hiding," Duo replies.  "Don't judge her too harshly because she hides.  It's a reflex."

            "I understand."

            "I hope so, Wu.  Us street kids are headstrong.  Nothing to tie us down.  Nothing to lose.  Just keep it in mind, okay?"

            "I will."

            "Good."  Pause.  "Anything else you wanna chat about?"

            Wufei tells him, "No.  Nothing."

            "Then can I _please_ go back to sleep?"

            With tiny grin, Wufei says, "Be my guest.  Goodnight, Maxwell."

            After returning the receiver to its resting place, Wufei turns toward the common room's window.  He pulls back the curtain and gazes out at the technological masterpiece before him.  He considers the pressures that the architects of the colonies must have been under when designing a new habitat for humans in space and feels a moment of empathy.  Somehow, he has to get Taki to care about living again.  He just hopes the task isn't as insurmountable as it seems.

**.**

            **Taki stares** at her backpack.  She doesn't reach for it, however.  Doesn't bother to carry it around the suite with her.  She leaves it right where it is.  Yesterday, when she'd picked it up and settled it over her shoulder it had felt significantly lighter than she'd remembered.  But then, what did she expect after a night spent passed out on the street?  Still, she doesn't want to be reminded.  And she doesn't have the strength to take an inventory in order to find out what she's lost.  So she abandons the backpack.  She will deal with it when she _can_ deal with it.

            She crosses her arms and leans against the window frame.  Damn but this sucks.  She stares out at the cityscape and wishes she were home... wherever the hell that would be.  Instead she's stuck in this room with _him._  She can feel the weight of his occasional glances as he works at his computer.  She hadn't asked him what he is doing, hadn't really given a damn.  She's not even sure why she's still here.

            _Liar._

            Taki looks away from her ghost-reflection in the glass.  He'd said he _could_ like her, _might_ care about her.  And her morbid, masochistic curiosity makes her wonder...  _What if_..._?_

            Something solid and cool slithers over her shoulders, startling her.  She looks down at her leather jacket, then up at Wufei's retreating form.  "Am I going somewhere?" she inquires smartly.

            He nods, removing his own coat from the closet and pulling it on.

            She lifts a brow.  "May I ask where?"

            "Put your jacket on," he says.

            "What for?"

            He looks at her.  "It's cool outside."

            _And I give a smelly rat's ass why?_

            Reluctantly, he adds, "Please."

            Without a word, she slides her arms into the sleeves.

            Wufei watches as she precedes him out into the hall.  The elevator ride to the lobby is passed in silence.  As is the stroll down the street.  He sends a sidelong glance at her every few steps, worried.  Gone from her is the determination, as is the smug gleam in her eyes, and the twitch of her lips betraying a new, clever plot unfurling in her mind.  Without them she seems merely irritated at his intrusion in her life.  He's never seen Taki _merely_ irritated.

            He stops in front of a small park squeezed between two buildings.  He gestures to the nearest bench.  "Have a seat," he suggests.

            She simply looks at him.

            Wufei holds her flat gaze for a moment.  "I'll just be a minute."

            Taki shrugs and takes a seat.

            Gladly, he turns away and strides toward a cluster of shops.  Seeing her like this—mildly annoyed but not particularly caring enough to put up a good fight—makes him uneasy.  As he steps into a take-out place, he glances over his shoulder at her.  Duo had said that when she is too tired to pull out her mask, she hides.  But... there seems to be more to it than that.  Ever since he'd asked her what the incident on the rooftop had meant to her she'd just... withdrawn.  He sighs.  He just doesn't understand her.

            He places an order then visits a neighboring shop while their lunch is being made.  By the time he makes it back to Taki, more than 'just a minute' has passed but she says nothing to him about it.

            "Come on," he invites.

            She glances at the sacks in his grasp and rises.  Again, they resume their silent march.  Quiet has never bothered Wufei before.  In fact, he much prefers it to most idle conversations and brainless music.  But Taki's quiet is unsettling.  Had he done something?  _Not_ done something?

            Wufei shakes his head.  Duo should have been the one to look after her.  Wufei knows he's not qualified to do this.  For the love of all things sacred, he doesn't even _know_ what he's supposed to be doing for her.

            Twenty minutes of silence comes and goes before Wufei signals a halt by lowering the shopping bags to the ground.  They stand at the edge of a field of winter clover in the center of a colony park.  Wufei shrugs out of his coat and arranges it on the ground.  He can sense Taki's gaze on him as he begins to unpack their lunch.  Chopsticks, towelettes, and cartons of noodles are gradually distributed.  Taki eats neatly and methodically.  Wufei wonders if she's even bothering to notice the taste.

            He looks out over the sea of purple, white, and green and says, "The colony I grew up on had a park like this."  His eyes narrow in thought.  "But then most colonies would, considering they all have the same basic design."  He smiles a little, thinking of all the peaceful, flower-studded meadows floating through space.  "The flowers were white and pink with five petals."  He tilts his head to the side and considers the landscape.  "And there were swells of earth.  So when there was a breeze you could watch them bending in unison, like the waves of the ocean."

            Rather than glancing in Taki's direction, he takes another bite.  "They say five isn't a lucky number.  But who would think that a simple flower is unlucky?  I thought it was just an old superstition."  Wufei gently lays his chopsticks down and watches the clover stretch toward the artificial light.  "It was peaceful.  A good place to read and to be."

            He falls silent.  Lost in the memory of the place, he's a little surprised by Taki's voice.

            "Is it still there?"

            He looks her way and meets her gaze.  "No," he tells her.  "But it is still with me."

           She nods and redirects her gaze.  Encountering the second bag Wufei had brought with him from the shops, she asks, "There any dessert in that?"

            "That depends," he says, picking it up.

            "On what?"

            "On your definition of 'dessert.'"  He hands her the sack.

            She sends him a questioning look before peering inside the bag.  Slowly, she pulls out a leather-bound journal filled with plain, textured paper, a gold and silver mechanical pencil, and several tubes of lead of varying densities.  Taki stares blankly at the supplies for a long moment.  But then something clicks in her brain and she realizes that these things are for her.  She turns back to Wufei to say something, but he's eating again.  She shakes her head and smiles before loading a stick of lead into the pencil and opening the book.

**.**

            **"Truth or dare?"******

            Wufei looks up from the report he's typing and eyes Taki over his reading glasses.  She's curled up in one of the armchairs, journal spread across her lap, mechanical pencil scratching across one of the pages.  "Excuse me?"

            "Truth or dare?" she repeats.

            Wufei shakes his head and turns back to the pc.  "If I choose dare what will I have to do?"

            She grins at her drawing-in-progress.  "Something hideously embarrassing."

            "Like what?"

            Taki pauses and with a wistful, serene smile, speculates, "Like opening the window and screaming, 'My name is Chang Wufei and it's my turn to dance with the pickle!'"

            Behind the laptop screen, Wufei chokes.

            "Liked that one, huh?" she asks.

            Wufei makes a mental note to choke more quietly from now on.  He grunts mildly in response.

            "So?  Truth or dare?"

            He growls, "Truth, I suppose."

            "Oh, good.  I was hoping you'd pick that one."

            Wufei's fingers hesitate over the keyboard.  _Played right into her hands, didn't you, Chang? _...  _Shit._

            "What did you want to be when you were a kid?"

            He frowns, thinking that question isn't nearly as bad as he'd been expecting.  "What I wanted to be when I got older?"

            "Naw.  I mean, who or what did you pretend to be when you were little?  If your fairy godmother had shown up and promised to turn you into anything you wanted, what would you have been?"

            He opens his mouth to reply but then glances at her over the screen.  He smiles.  "Why don't you guess?"

            She looks away from her work and arcs a brow at him.  He can tell she's about to argue with him about his suggestion, but suddenly her gaze turns speculative.  "A milkman," she says.

            Both of Wufei's eyebrows go up at that.

            "Well?" Taki presses.  "Am I close?"

            He snorts.  "No."

            "Okay," she says, unperturbed.  "A warlock."

            "No."

            "A kindergarten teacher?"

            "No."

            "Am I getting warmer?"

            "No."

            "Give me a hint."

            "What kind of hint?"

            "Human, animal, plant, inanimate object, or other?"

            Wufei blinks at her.  "What constitutes an 'other'?"

            "Something non-physical or mythological or metaphysical."

            A thought occurs to him.  "You've played this game a lot."

            She laughs.

**.**

            **"A dyslexic rabbi?"******

            Wufei puts down the knife in his hand and looks over his shoulder at his observer.

            "Well?" Taki asks, expression hopeful.  "Did I guess?"

            He sighs.  Gesturing with the knife to the sliced mushrooms on the cutting board, he says, "It's your turn."

            She blinks.  "Huh?"

            He tosses her a carrot and offers her the knife, handle first.  "Slice."

            Taki leans back against the counter.  "Oh, no," she says, chucking the carrot right back at him.  "Food and I have a one-way relationship.  It presents itself to me and I eat it."

            He stares at her.  "You don't cook?"

            "Not if I wanna live."

            "I've seen you handle sharp objects before."

            "And you lived to tell about it.  Congratulations."

            "Come here."

            Taki eyes him for a moment.  He looks right back.  He's serious.  She sighs.  Reluctantly, she closes the journal she'd been sketching in.  "Wufei," she says solemnly, "there are few things in this universe that I cannot do.  Cooking is one of them."

            He doesn't look convinced.  "Then I'll show you what to do."

            "I think you should know that you're putting Duo's kitchen—as well as the rest of us—in mortal peril.  I mean, you wanted this dinner to be a _good_ surprise, right?"

            Wufei steps away from the cutting board and gestures for her to take his place.  With a long sigh, she does so.  "Slice," he tells her, offering the knife.

            She hesitates, looking from the sacrificial carrot to the blade and back again.  "Um...  Oka~ay."

            Wufei beings to mix up the sauce, watching out of the corner of his eye as Taki raises the knife.  He abandons his creation in an instant, catching her wrist before she can wack the vegetable in two.  "Not like that," he tells her.

            Taki blinks as Wufei moves behind her, grasping her other hand.  Silently, he positions her fingers so that she won't amputate them on accident, adjusts her grip on the knife, and places the edge of the blade at an angle.  "Use your arm like a lever," he tells her, his voice low but very close.  Hand over hers, he demonstrates.  "Rock the blade down."

            He watches her give it a few tries, his hands merely resting on hers.  Chest brushing against her back, the scent of the hotel shampoo in his lungs, Wufei undergoes a moment completely void of thought.  He simply stands and experiences Taki.  He remembers the evening at the circus when he'd combed his fingers through her hair in search of the tattoo, recalls the kiss born of frustration and irritation, relives the feel of her body leaning into his embrace on the rooftop.  He marvels at how easy it had been for him to just walk away from that.  At least, it had seemed easy.  He wonders now how much of the pressure around his heart is guilt and how much of it is... regret.

            He'd lost something on that building's summit.  He'd stopped holding onto his past failures, had let them wash though him, pour out of his skin, and rise up toward the metal dome above him.  And then, when the moment had ended, he'd lost something else: the chance to befriend the girl who calls herself Taki Daemon.  But, perhaps, that opportunity isn't so lost after all...

            Wufei blinks, realizing that she's nearly half finished.  With a start, he removes himself from her and returns to the unfinished sauce.  Taki completes her task without incident, which is a miracle if there ever was one.  She slides back to her place at the counter and picks up her journal and pencil again.  For a long moment, however, she doesn't resume her drawing.  Instead she watches him work over the stir fry.  She decides that even if her help had jinxed dinner, getting to watch him cook would make the adventure well worth it.

            She shakes her head and turns back to her sketch.  Who knew he could cook?  Who knew his voice could be so soft?  And who knew his fingertips were so warm?  Taki's expression softens into a small grin.  It doesn't matter who _knew_.  She knows now.

**.**

**~End of Chapter 4~**

**.**

**Author's Note: **Hey there, Shaddowgoddess.  Nice to hear from you again!  Seak, dude, I love your reviews!!  Just thought I'd better warn you: this fic is _much_ shorter than what you're used to from me.  In fact, I anticipate only two chapters left from here.  I know, I know, but I've still got two more planned for the _Zero-one Arc._


	5. Chapter 5: Debt and Friendship

**The Taki and Wufei Story**

**Chapter 5: Debt and Friendship**

**.**

            **"Dude!**  This is fantastic, you guys," Duo crows.

            Taki glances at Wufei who merely says, "It's nothing."  She rolls her eyes.  Built, handsome, _and_ modest.  A guy in a million, that one.  Her gaze roves across the table in time to catch Duo picking out the carrots from his dinner.

            Catching her attention on him, he grins apologetically.  "Never really liked carrots."

            With no small amount of apprehension, Taki pops one into her mouth, chews, and quickly reaches for her napkin in order to spit out the offending object.  Although Wufei doesn't look up from his dinner, she spies Duo grinning at her from across the table.  She agrees, "Yeah, me either."

            An orange movement beside her has her instantly in motion.  Her chopsticks collide with Wufei's, preventing the carrot from reaching his lips.  "I wouldn't eat that if I were you."

            He arcs a brow.  "Why not?"

            "I jinxed the carrots.  They're disgusting."

            A sigh signals Bisho's relief at not having to eat them just to be polite.

            Wufei persists, "Will you at least let me find out how bad it is?"

            She slowly lifts her chopsticks.  "You've been warned."

            All eyes watch as Wufei finishes his bite.  His chewing slows.  He blinks.  He swallows.  He glances at Taki again.  "They're... hideous," he confirms.

            Duo laughs.

            Wufei reaches for his glass of water.  "What, in the name of the ancestors, did you _do_ to that carrot, Taki?"

            She sighs but the effect is ruined by the smile curving her lips.  "I have no cooking mojo." 

            Duo arcs a brow at her.  "Then how the hell did you survive this long?"

            Taki grins.  "Ketchup.  Ketchup makes anything edible."

            Aside from the carrots, dinner passes without incident.  Duo offers to help Wufei clean up the kitchen while Taki shows Bisho a few of the drawings in her new journal.

            Lowering his voice so that he can't be overheard, Duo asks, "How's it going?"

            Wufei shakes his head.  "I still haven't told Commander Une I'm here.  I need to get back to L1."

            For a moment, Duo says nothing.  "I meant with Taki."

            Plate in hand, Wufei hesitates to rinse it off.  "Better."

            Duo sighs.  "Is it really so important?  Continuing the investigation?"

            "It's all I can do."  He frowns at the soapy water foaming in the sink.  "I hate feeling this... guilt."

            Resting a hand on his friend's shoulder, Duo tells him, "Life shits sometimes, Wu.  That doesn't mean it's your fault or that you could have prevented it."

            Wufei shakes his head.  "It's more than just how this has affected Heero."  He pauses, waiting for the words to come to him.  "After Yokaze's remains were identified, Taki just... gave up."  He meets Duo's gaze.  "You said as much on the phone.  And I could have prevented her best friend's death, could have saved her this pain.  She deserves to have me make it up to her.  I just can't seem to decide how I'm supposed to do that... where I'm supposed to be..."

            "Making it up to Taki won't fix everything else, Wufei."

            The two young men stare at each other for a long moment.  Eyes hard, Wufei informs Duo, "I owe her."

            Duo looks ready to rebuttal, but some instinct draws both his and Wufei's focus to the room behind them.  Wufei feels his chest tighten around his heart as Taki stares at them with dark, wide eyes.  He's not sure how much she'd heard, but obviously it had been enough.  Foregoing her coat and journal, Taki rushes for the door and slams out of the apartment.  Dripping soapy water on the floor, Wufei starts to follow her but Duo's hand in the center of his chest holds him back.

            "I'll go," he says.  And he does.

            Wufei stands in the center of the kitchenette, wondering what he'd just done.

**.**

            **"Taki!"**

            She ignores the sound of his voice and jogs a little faster down the street.

            _Stupid!  Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

            She thought she'd learned this lesson already from Yokaze: friendship is never simple.  It's not just about caring, about favors; it's also about debts.  Yokaze had given her that disk as a way of repaying Taki's friendship.  And now... now Wufei is trying to ease his conscience by becoming her friend.

            She'd almost believed that he really cared.

            _Liar._

            Who is she trying to kid?  She _had_ believed him.  Ever since yesterday's lunch in the field, she'd believed.  Maybe even before that.  And it had scared her.  She hadn't wanted to believe—to hope—only to realize that she is wrong.

            _Ooops.  Too late now._

            She shakes her head, attempting to deny the pain, but it wraps its sharp talons around her nonetheless.  Ruthlessly, the voice in her head—the one that assures her that yes, she'd deserved to be abandoned, to spend her life alone, on the streets—whispers.  Wufei doesn't care about _her_.  He cares about easing the guilt.

            _What the fuck does he have to feel guilty about?_

            Screw it.  She's done.  She quits.  There's no way she can wrap her head around his messed up logic.  It's not worth it.  She's finished with 'friends.'

            Taki ducks down an alley, abruptly changing her goal to outrunning the man pursuing her.

**.**

            **Bisho regards** her brother's friend and shakes her head at the clueless schmuck.  "That was really stupid," she tells him.  "Really, _really_ stupid."

            He lifts his gaze, pinning her with a dark look.

            Bisho is amazed.  "Oh, _you're_ angry?  With _me?_  For stating the obvious?"  She tilts her head to one side.  "Do you have any idea how that sounded?"

            "What?" he growls, curious despite himself.

            She sighs.  "That you 'owe' her.  That you're being her friend just to make your own guilt go away."

            Wufei scowls.  How long had Taki and Bisho been standing there listening?

            "She really liked you," she tells him.  "Trusted you, too, maybe."

            "How do you know?"

            Bisho nods to the journal Taki had left behind.  "I just know."

            He wipes his hands on his slacks and takes a step in the direction of the journal.  His hand hovers over it for a moment before he carefully picks it up.  The book falls open in his hands and he finds himself staring at a field of flowers.  Each meticulously detailed five-petaled masterpiece dances across the page, over swells of earth, shimmering in an invisible wind.  This field of flowers is _his_ field of flowers.  The field Meiran had given her life to protect.  The field she had died in.  He stares at the page until his vision begins to blur.  Taki had drawn this?  From his few and meager sentences?

            Heart aching, he turns the page and sees... himself.  She'd captured him working at his computer, typing a report, the light playing over his hair...  Had it really done that?  Had _he_ really looked like this?  Against his better judgment, he caresses the next page aside.  She'd only had the journal for two days but, already, a good number of pages are covered with doodles and line drawings.  There are figure studies of him sitting in a field, him leaning back in his desk chair, eyes closed, him preparing dinner.  But the last page...  The last drawing is a quick sketch of him and Taki.  He stands behind her, arms curving around hers, hands resting on her wrists.  This is how they'd been standing only an hour ago when he'd been showing her how to slice vegetables.  But the perspective...  They'd been drawn in profile.  He studies the look of dawning wonder on Taki's face.  So, she'd felt it, too...  With a fortifying breath, he shifts his gaze to his own face.  But there is nothing there.  No expression at all.

            And for some reason, that hurts.  _A lot._

            He closes the book and takes several careful breaths.  "I... I don't understand," he says to no one in particular.

            "What don't you understand?" Bisho asks, disrupting his reverie.  "Why she left?"

            He frowns, but not at Bisho.  At himself.  "Taki," he tells her.  "I don't understand Taki."

            Bisho weighs Wufei in the silence, her eyes steady.  After a full minute, she offers him a softer expression.  She goes to the door and yanks it open.  "Come on, then," she says to him.

            He doesn't move, just stares at her.

            She sighs.  "If you want to understand, I'll show you.  It's a one-time offer.  Good for exactly ten more seconds.  Take it or leave it."

**.**

            **Duo cannot believe** what a complete and utter _ass_ Wufei had just made of himself.  Sure, the guy's got issues and all, but this whole 'guilt' business is getting ridiculous.  It's perfectly clear to Duo that Wufei's simply hiding behind semi-legitimate excuses, unwilling to admit that he might actually _care _about someone like Taki.  The problem, as Duo sees it, is that Wufei looks at Taki and sees a manipulator—someone too weak to make their own way, someone who chooses to use charm and cleverness to get what they want.  Slowly, he runs a hand over his hair.

            Wufei is an idiot sometimes.

            He sighs in perfect silence as he stares down at Taki's huddled form.  He'd nearly passed her by.  For over an hour, she'd run and he'd followed.  But now that she's given him the opportunity to catch up to her, he has no idea of what to say.  Should he try to convince her that she hadn't heard Wufei's words correctly?  That she misinterpreted them?  Took them out of context?  Duo refrains from shaking his head.  He knows that won't work.  Taki knows enough about Wufei to understand the meaning behind his words.  Should he tell her Wufei didn't mean them?  No.  Wufei doesn't lie.

            In truth, Duo can't really speak for Wufei.  Even if the other man had confided in Duo, he'd have no right to share those insights with Taki.  Slowly, Duo presses his back against the dingy wall and slides down to sit beside the woman.

            In the end, Duo Maxwell doesn't say a thing.  He just wraps an arm around her shoulders and stays, offering her a warm embrace and a good listener just in case she decides she could use one or the other... or both.

**.**

**~End of Chapter 5~**


	6. Chapter 6: Survival

**The Taki and Wufei Story**

**Chapter 6: Survival**

**.**

            **"Where are we going?"**

            Bisho doesn't bother to turn toward him.  She simply flicks a glare in his direction and allows herself a dark smirk.  He hadn't said a word since they'd begun their trek over an hour ago.  Not that she'd expected him to.  She'd known he wouldn't be happy about leaving not only his coat and hotel key card behind, but his cash and identification as well.  _Tough shit,_ she thinks.  _If he really wants to know what it's like, then I'm not going to sugar-coat it for him._

            In answer to his question, she gestures to the dimly lit streets, the homeless, the jobless, the predators and prey slinking through the shadows.  "We're already there."

            Wufei glares at her, demanding an elaboration.

            Her eyebrows arc in mock disbelief.  "What?  You thought streets were only for getting from point A to point B?"  She chuckles.  It's not a happy sound.  "Take a look around you.  Do these people look like they have somewhere to go?"

            Reluctantly, Wufei follows her suggestion and looks.  He watches women in tight, short skirts and halter tops, suppressing their shivering in the cool, night air, as they smile invitingly for the occasional passing motorist and pedestrian.  Yellow light and loud voices spill onto the street from open bar doors.  Hunched forms shuffle through the shadows, everything they own draped over their backs and stowed in their pockets.

            "This is nothing," Bisho tells him.  "It's still pretty early yet.  You just wait until midnight rolls around..."

            There is something about her voice that tells him he won't like what he'll see.

            "See," she says.  Her voice is softer now, but no less bitter.  "For a lot of people, the streets aren't a way of getting from one place to another.  It's a destination in and of itself."  She shakes her head.  "It amazes me how naïve all those people—"  She gestures to the classy apartment buildings in the distance.  "—are sleeping in their temperature controlled water beds under their down comforters in their climate regulated three-bedroom apartments."

            Wufei glances at her, a little surprised to see the bitter resignation on her face.

            "They think that if a person _really _wants to, they can get their life together and get out of the streets."  Bisho shakes her head.  "Stupid."  For a long moment, she says nothing else.  But then, as if she's finally remembered she isn't alone, she looks at Wufei and her gaze is quite critical.  "You're just like them."

            He doesn't deny it.

            "So, Mr. Successful, let's see how you do."

            He blinks at her, scowling.  "Excuse me?"

            "You want to 'understand,' right?"

            He doesn't nod, but the look on his face speaks for itself.

            She continues, "Then let's see you get yourself off the streets."

            Wufei stares at her.  "My hotel's only a hour and—"

            Bisho ruthlessly interrupts him.  "_Your _hotel?  Where's your key card, then?"

            "Back at Duo's—"

            "Who's Duo?"

            He doesn't answer.  He doesn't have to.  He's beginning to see what she's getting at.  But, just in case there's any confusion, she spells it out for him.

            "You have no money, no identification, no one.  All you have is what you're wearing."

            "So you're just going to leave me here to figure it out for myself?" he inquires.

            Bisho laughs.  "Oh _hell _no!"  She shakes her head.  "You... out here by yourself...  _That's_ funny."  She releases a humor-filled sigh.  "Naw, I'll be sticking around.  You're gonna need my help."

            His expression darkens.  "I—"

            "Shut up, Chang."  Despite the harsh words, she doesn't appear to be angry with him.  She looks... amused.  "You have no idea what these people out here are like.  You're just lucky you've got a friend."  A toothy grin flashes in his direction, "_And_ you're _very_ lucky that I won't pimp you out for a meal."

            Wufei's so shocked by the very idea that he doesn't think of a reply.  Which is just as well.  Bisho isn't yet finished with what she has to say.

            With a leer, she continues, "Unless you piss me off.  Then it's open season."  She squares her shoulders and heads off toward the epicenter of the colony's night life.  "Com'on, Chang!" she calls over her shoulder.  "It's time to survive."

**.**

            **Wufei glowers** at anyone and everyone who dares to check him out.  Beside him, Bisho swaggers down the street, acting for all the world like she has the Earth on a leash.  Once upon a time, he thought Duo to be the master of the cocky attitude, but here is a thirteen-year-old girl, working the crowd over like a professional punk.

            He keeps an eye on her out of the corner of his eye as she... talks with various shady characters.  He doesn't entirely understand the jargon she uses, so he says nothing.  The man she's conversing with at the moment grins lasciviously at her and reaches out to touch her long, gleaming hair.

            "I think I could find you a... position you might be interested in," he murmurs.

            She slaps his hand away.  "Keep your dick in your pants, Mario.  I'm not interested in small-time ass kissers like you."

            His eyes flash with anger.  His mouth tightens.  Still, his body language remains inviting.  "What do you know about anything, little girl?  You're new around here.  You need someone to show you around..."

            Bisho doesn't take her eyes off of him.  "Oh, yeah.  The fifty-cent tour."  She leans closer and glares.  "I might be new but I _ain't_ stupid.  Now, who do I see around here about real estate?"

            The guy lifts a shoulder and crosses his arms.  He's decided that the kid isn't going to be reined in by a display of arrogance.  But being helpful, on the other hand...  He's pretty sure she'll remember him.  And come back for more later...  He smiles.  "That'd be Ross.  Ask for him at the Black Bull."

            She nods.  "It's been real."

            Wufei turns with her and they stride down the block.  Bisho ignores the catcalls and appreciative whistles.  Wufei glances over his shoulder and back at the sleazy Mario.  "You pushed him too far," he tells her.

            She gives Wufei a wry look.  "You're so innocent.  It's kinda cute, you know."

            Wufei chokes.

            "Didn't you see it in his eyes?" she asks.  "He won't try anything.  He'll wait for me to come back to him, wait for me to remember how very _helpful_ he was when I was asking around."

            He studies her.  "How do you know he—?"

            "Experience," she says, cutting him off.  "Sure, he'd love to meet up with me in a dark alley sometime, but he's not going to go out of his way to get in mine.  Lazy, opportunistic bastard."

            Wufei continues to stare.

            "Most are like that," she shares.  "Too greedy to turn down a free bang, but too lazy to make trouble."

            He grimaces at the bad taste suddenly in his mouth.  His skin crawls at her blunt words.  Bisho's too young to know anything about this.  Yet here she is, telling _him _how the world works down here.  If he didn't know better, he'd think it's his heart that's hurting so badly in his chest right now.

            "What's 'real estate'?" he inquires as they approach a windowless building with a sign above the door depicting a black bull.

            She says, "Just checking to see who runs this area, and where he can be found."  As Wufei turns toward the bar, she grabs his wrist and hauls him back to her side.  "Keep walking," she hisses.

            "But don't you—"

            Bisho almost laughs.  "No, I _don't _want to meet Mr. Ross.  And if I'm_ really _lucky, I never will."

            He doesn't say anything to that.  But then he doesn't really understand it, either.

            "Let's find some action," she suggests.

            Before Wufei can protest, Bisho approaches a crowd of youths in Goth.  Their black, spiky hair and vinyl-clad bodies a dead give-away.  Hooking an arm around Wufei's waist, Bisho waves to them.  "Hey!  What's happenin' 'round here tonight?"

            A young man with his septum pierced, rakes his gaze over Bisho.  After a moment, a smirk plays at the corner of his mouth.  "What are you looking for?"

            The other members of the gang watch with varying degrees of interest, some appreciating Bisho and a few others with eyes only for Wufei.  Bisho rubs her body against her companion, openly displaying her claim.   "Hmm...  I'm not sure."  She nods toward Wufei.  "What's the area got to offer for removing a large stick from a guy's ass?"

            A couple of the kids snicker.  The leader grins.  "Yeah, your date definitely looks like he needs to loosen up.  We're headed for Club Pink."

            "Can I get a score there?" Bisho asks eagerly.

            "Sure.  Plenty of selection."

            "Great."

            "Follow us, then."

            As the gang moves along the street, Wufei bends down to growl in Bisho's ear.  "What the hell are you doing?"

            She grins and whispers back, "Following the money.  What else?"

            He opens his mouth but she shakes her head at him.

            "You'll see," she promises.

            And he does.  The club is in the basement of an old apartment building and they descend the narrow stairs without incident.  As the music begins to pound louder and louder, Bisho leans closer to her companion, saying, "Follow my lead, got it?"

            He hesitates, pulling away to study her face.  Eventually, he nods.  Once.

            The door opens, revealing a mass of bodies, swirling lights, and smoke.  Bisho grasps his hand and pulls him into the throng.  He has little choice but to allow the crush of bodies to guide him.  Wufei eventually finds himself at the center of the dance floor with Bisho wrapped around him.  Reluctantly, he moves with her and the music, wondering what in the hell they're doing there.  Although he does notice Bisho's attention wandering.  She squeezes both of them through the crowd, pausing at various intervals to dance.  On several occasions, her hands leave his back even as she presses up against him.

            The fourth time this happens, he decides to do something about it.  Looking very disgruntled, he says her name once in warning.

            She shakes her head.  "Almost got it," she mouths back.  And then she's grinning.

            He watches as she places one of her hands on his chest.  He glances down, catching the corner of a few bills carefully folded in her fingers.  Their gazes meet and Bisho tells him, "Breakfast."

            It's all suddenly too much.  Eyes narrowed, he hauls her from the dance floor and up the stairs.  Once more on the street, he stares at her and waits for the ringing in his ears to subside.  After a minute, he hisses at her, "What the hell do you think you're doing stealing?"

            She grabs his arm and pulls him down the street and into an abandoned stoop.  Bisho looks at him and replies, flatly, "I'm taking control."

            "Control?"

            "Would you rather we went back to Mario and asked for his... assistance?" she inquires.  "Because you know what kind of _positions _he's got in mind, don't you?"

            The muscles along Wufei's jaw tense as he breathes out heavily.

            "That's what I thought you'd say.  Look, Chang, here are your choices: scavenge, steal, or sell."

            He doesn't appear to make a choice, so she elaborates.  "When we get hungry in a few hours, we can raid the dumpsters, how does that sound?  Of course, all the trash will be a good ten hours old because that's when the restaurants would have made their last dump.  So unless you'd like to eat something that's been marinating in bacteria all night..."

            He makes a face.

            She moves on to the next option.  "Or, we can steal some money and eat whenever we want to."

            His expression makes it clear he flatly refuses to consider that option.

            Bisho outlines his final choice.  "Then that leaves selling."

            "Selling what?" he replies.  "You mean getting a job?"

            She laughs.  "Yeah, something like that.  The night's young.  You could probably make about hundred if you started now.  There's enough time left and plenty of customers down this stretch..."  She gives him a knowing, appraising look.  "And you're not exactly hard on the eyes."

            Suddenly, he _really _doesn't like where this is going.  "You're suggesting I sell..."

            She meets his gaze.  "Your body," she tells him.  "And if you won't go that far, then sell your mouth.  A blow job goes for about twenty in this neighborhood."

            He gapes at her.  "_What?_"

            "You heard me."

            Wufei shakes his head.  "Absolutely not."

            She shrugs.  "So we starve.  And that's when guys like Mario will start circling.  _Trust me._  You do _not _want to be at the mercy of a guy like that."

            He casts his gaze about, searching for another alternative.  "Why not just go get a job?"

            She grabs his shirt and actually attempts to shake some sense into him.  "Who would hire us?  We don't even have a home address!  And getting a place takes money!"

            "What about shelters, soup kitchens?"

           Bisho laughs.  "Oh, sure.  Shelters where we'll have the opportunity to pick up a few communal diseases.  And yeah, a soup kitchen will let us eat there twice, maybe three times a week.  Sure, that'll keep us afloat."

            Agitated, Wufei runs his fingers over his hair and acknowledges his defeat.  "All right, fine."

            "Fine _what?_"

            He glares at her.  "Fine.  I understand.  Let's go."

            "Go where?"

            Wufei pauses and tells her what he thinks is quite obvious, "Home."

            Bisho shakes her head.  "You still don't get it, do you?"  She sighs and looks into his eyes.  "There is no 'home' for us to go back to."

**.**

**~End of Chapter 6~**


	7. Chapter 7: No Objections

**Author's Note:**  I decided to divide Chapter 6 up in to two smaller sections.  This is not new stuff; it's only been reorganized slightly.  Sorry for the false alarm.  However, I have posted a new Zero One Arc fiction: _Roommates._  Thanks!

**.**

**The Taki and Wufei Story**

**Chapter 7: No Objections**

**.**

            **Taki slides** into the seat across from Duo and considers his somber expression.  She ignores the golden light trickling through the living room window and wonders what's wrong.  He doesn't say anything, simply lifts his cooling cup of coffee to his lips and takes a sip.  In fact, Duo hasn't said much at all since he'd found her last night.  She fidgets in her seat, feeling distinctly bad for her selfishness the night before when Duo obviously has a lot on his mind.  After a moment, she says, "Where's Bisho?"

            Duo's gaze finally lifts to hers.  "Out."

            "This early?"

            He tells her, "She didn't come home last night."

            "You mean she's out on the streets?"

            He nods.

            "Why didn't you say something?  Let me get my coat and we'll..."

            "It's all right, Taki.  She's not alone."

            Taki frowns.  "What do you mean?"

            Wordlessly, Duo hands her a note.  Her eyes widen as she reads Bisho's neat, precise handwriting:

            _Duo, don't freak out.  Wufei needs to get a few things straight.  We'll be back after he manages to shit the stick out of his ass.  Bisho._

            Taki sits down.  She can't believe it.  Bisho and Wufei... out there... _all night_...  She glances up at Duo, worried in spite of herself.  "Do you think they'll be okay?"

            The corner of Duo's mouth lifts.  "Oh, Bisho can take care of herself.  It's Wufei we should be worried about."

            Silently, Taki agrees with him.

**.**

            **The fire escape** railing digs into his back.  Frowning, Wufei's eyes flutter open.  For a moment, he experiences a moment of pure disorientation.  Where is he?  How the hell did he get here?  And who's sleeping next to him?

            He glances down and finds himself greeted by Bisho's face, relaxed and young in sleep.  It's at that moment that he remembers.

            He's homeless.

            Slowly, he releases a breath and leans back against the metal bars.  He's aware of his arm circling her shoulders, drawing her closer to his warmth.  It had been cold last night.  And all of the warm nooks and crannies had been taken.  This had been the best she'd been able to find.

            "It's better to be cold than to have to fight off the owner," she'd said.

            He takes this quiet moment to reflect on everything that had happened the night before.  The people who seemed more like animals than human beings.  The offers she'd constantly had to fend off.  The appraising looks they'd both received.  The money she'd stolen at the club.  The argument in the dilapidated stoop a few minutes later.

            _This can't be my life,_ he tells himself, refusing to accept the fate she'd outlined for him.  But although it isn't _his_ life, Wufei realizes that there are many, many people, for whom this world is all there is.  Stealing a few bucks from rave-goers, slinking through the shadows to avoid the alpha males strolling down the block, searching for someplace safe and possibly warm to rest.  No, this isn't his life.

            But it had been Taki's.

            Wufei is unaware of the look on his own face, unaware of the sudden tension in his body, unaware that this slight deviation in his posture has awoken his companion.

            Slowly, Bisho stirs and smiles when Wufei looks down at her in surprise.  He closes his expression quickly, but not before she sees his thoughts reflected in his eyes.  Gradually, she sits up and examines his once-pristine wardrobe.  Now they're little more than rags; those rust and oil stains will never come out.

            Bisho carefully stands and stretches.  She notices that Wufei doesn't follow suit.  "Well, Chang, do you know what we do now?"

            Slowly, he shakes his head.  In this world where he has no job, no home, no security of any kind, he's lost.  "No, Bisho.  What do we do?"

            She points to a park in the distance.  "Do you see that over there?  That park?"

            He glances over his shoulder and nods.

            "We're going to use the public bathrooms to get cleaned up, and then..."

            Wufei looks up at her when she hesitates.  "And then?"

            She smiles.  "And then we're going to go home."

            His eyes close as a small smile forms on his lips as well.  _Home._

            And since he has no objections, that's precisely what they do.

**.**

            **Taki raises her hand** to knock on the door, but hesitates.  And then she gets angry with herself for hesitating.  She pounds on the door.  She waits in the hall, wishing she'd taken Wufei's key card from Duo's and retrieved her things herself.  But no, she'd decided to take a shower, and while she'd been in the bathroom Wufei and Bisho had returned.  She doesn't bother to wonder why Wufei hadn't waited for her.  Attempting to make sense of him is an exercise in futility.

            The door finally swings open, startling her out of her thoughts.  There stands Wufei, dripping wet with a towel around his waist.  For a moment, Taki forgets why she's even there.  But only for a moment.

            "I came by to get my things."

            He opens the door wider, inviting her in.

            She doesn't take off her coat.  She's not staying.  She can feel his gaze on her as she collects her still-too-light backpack and her few personal items from the bathroom.  That accomplished, she heads for the small foyer.  Wufei remains near the door, his hand resting against the wall.  As she grasps the handle, she considers simply leaving.  But, for some reason, she feels compelled to say... _something._

            "You're a real jerk."

            Ooops.  That hadn't come out the way she'd anticipated.  She glances at him and blinks at his not-so-subtle smirk.

            "I know," he replies.

            A bit of the tension bleeds from her body.  Taki tells him lightly, "Despite that, it's been fun."

            He nods.  "Yes, it was."

            Pause.

            "Thanks."  Taki blinks.  She hadn't meant to say that, either.

            "For what?"

            She sighs.  Might as well be honest...  "For trying?"

            For a moment, he looks uncomfortable.  "I... didn't do a very good job."

            She almost laughs at the tone of his voice: challenging, as if he's daring her to contradict him.  "There's always next time," she says.

            He moves a little closer to her.  "Is there?"

            Taki backpedals.  "Well, not with... me, of course.  But there'll be someone else.  Someday."

            Wufei says nothing, simply watches her.

            Is it just her or is this whole situation getting just a tad awkward?  She draws a breath.  "Okay.  Have a nice life."  She twists the handle and opens the door.

            "A dancer."

            His voice is so soft she almost doesn't hear it.  She pauses.  "What?"

            He repeats, "A dancer."

            For a solid minute, her mind draws a total blank...  And then it hits her.  Truth or Dare...  When he'd been a kid, Wufei Chang had wanted to be...

            "I wasn't done guessing," she says, stunned.

            "That's funny," he counters, "I thought you'd given up."

            Taki admits, "Almost."

           They simply stand there, looking at each other for a long moment.  But then he smiles... hesitantly, but it's still a smile.  "Stay for breakfast?"

            "Um...  Okay."

            The door settles back into the frame.  Without taking his gaze off of her, he nods toward the desk.  "Why don't you call down to room service while I get dressed?"

            "Sure."

            She watches him stride back toward the bathroom.  Then, with a small shake of the head, she wanders over to the telephone and plops into Wufei's chair.  She dials the number and makes her requests.  And as she re-cradles the receiver, she wonders why she'd just agreed to stay.  He hadn't apologized for being an ass... not really.  What the hell is she still doing here anyway?

            Taki sighs and moves to get up, but then something among the papers and files on the desk catches her eye.  With a shaking hand, she reaches for it and gently brushes her fingers across the matte surface of the disk and its two words:

            _Taki Daemon._

            She chokes back a sob.  She realizes that the disk isn't the same as the one she'd thrown away.  The handwriting isn't even Yokaze's.  But the disk...

            She smiles as a completely insane idea comes to her: Yokaze's ghost is following her.  Taki sighs happily.  Perhaps this is a sign.  Perhaps...

            "Taki?"

            She looks up, noting that the bathroom door is open a crack, allowing Wufei's voice to travel across the room.

            "Yeah?"

            There's a short pause, and then: "Truth or dare?"

            And she can't help it; she laughs.

**.**

**~End~**

**.**

**Author's Note:**  So that's it, the beginning of Taki and Wufei's relationship.  What do you think?  I realize that I didn't deal with _every_ issue each of them have, but I'm sure you can imagine them discussing (a.k.a. arguing) over breakfast.  So, okay, what's next?  Well, I'm still going to write _Roommates_ but I've started working on a fic called _Caged_ which is about Yokaze's reaction to Heero self-destructing his gundam in Episode 10 of the series.  So, you'll probably see _Caged_ first.  As for length, I'm thinking _Caged_ will be a one-chapter story and _Roommates_ will be, perhaps, four or five chapters long.  And, yes, I'm still planning on writing _Night Wind_ and I hope that one will be between fifteen and twenty chapters.  Thanks again for reading and reviewing.  I hope you enjoyed!  And check back soon for more good stuff!


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